Shot Blog # 6: Miller Precision, Proof Research, and the TargetVision and Bullseye Camera Systems
For this installment of my Shot reporting, we're going to go back to range day. I talked about some of the products I saw last week but there was far to much to cover in one sitting, so now I'm doubling back to catch some of the other interesting products.
The multiple discovery theory of invention states that most inventions should be expected to be made independently and almost simultaneously by multiple parties because each invention represents a minor edition to, or compilation of, existing discoveries and inventions. This is the theory currently ascribed to by most thinkers on the subject and they would find my showing up at the Miller Precision bench a good example. Miller caught my eye because SWORD international advertised a .338 LM chambered AR platform in a Shot Show media e-mail. I thought this sort of thing might appeal to the military crowd at least as, given the accuracy coming out of autoloading platforms now, I see limited military application for bolt action rifles. .338 LM seems to have established itself as a favorite military long range round and an autoloading platform would be sure to have its uses.
Come show time, I did not remember who had sent the e-mail about the .338 LM AR and when I saw the .300 Win Mag AR that Miller had set up at the show I asked them if they were the company with a .338 LM AR. They said they were but that it wasn't ready yet. I did not reach the correct conclusion at this point, thinking that I had the right company with the wrong product instead of vice versa. Despite not having a fondness for the .300 Win Mag I decided to go ahead and shoot it as it might give me some indication of the companies quality and reliability come time for the .338 LM. The thing about the .300 Win Mag is that it has a belt, requires a long action, and really doesn't deliver much better ballistics than many rounds that fit in a short action. It just kind of feels dated to me, and not in the kind of nostalgic way that .308 or 30-30 does, but rather just old. I would probably like the .300 better if I hunted large game, but I hunt steel, paper, and varmints, so not so much. That diatribe aside, I shot it, fittingly I guess, with Core-Lokt ammo. Wait until the deer get a load of me with a full mag and this thing. The whole setup felt a little strange to me: an overgrown AR all cammoed out with a Mark 4 scope and a classic hunting round in classic hunting caliber. Oh, and they mounted the bipod backwards. It doesn't load so well backwards by the way. I don't mean to say the experience was bad. It wasn't, not at all. The rifle fired and ejected, the steel rang, no problems which, for a semi, is exactly what you are looking for. I like the primary design features of their rifles, which are that all the furniture and the trigger unit are standard AR-10 so you can mix and match. I don't even have a problem with the use of a cammoed AR style rifle for hunting deer with a tactical scope. It's a cliché but aren't we all if we admit it. Really, the only thing that went wrong from Millers standpoint was a bipod I expect was mounted backwards to fit folded in the shipping case and never turned around. That being said, here were are, one missed turn and were in a cornfield in Nebraska. I hope its deer season.
Shooting the Miller .300 Win Mag. Yes, the bipod is backwards - it's more of a challenge that way.
Another interesting company, er..., rather, a conglomeration of them, that was located in the long range section was Proof Research. I say conglomeration because they are the result of a merger of some four (if I remember correctly) entities. They make precision rifles and AR's and when I say that, I mean that they make stocks, actions, and even barrels. Actually, the barrels are probably the most interesting part, as you can buy these for any rifle and they are lightweight carbon fiber wrapped units. They are not cheap, with a blank running $900 and a drop-in AR barrel running $1000. Still, if you are trying to save weight on an AR or hunting rig, it might make sense: their AR barrel saves 24% barrel weight and their bolt gun barrel saves about 50%. In addition to weight savings, they claim significantly improved cooling. I asked them about Melonite (because if you're going to have the bells and whistles why not have them all), and they told me they are experimenting with salt bath treatments. I was not surprised, as it seems fit that if you were trying master one interesting tech, you would try another.
I think the next thing to talk about is range cameras. Spotting scopes have their uses, but they also have their costs and limitations. Given that digital cameras and wireless routers seem to follow Moore's law and spotting scopes do not, it is only a matter of time before cameras and routers largely replace scopes for keeping tabs on your target. Two companies were debuting products to that end this year. The first of these systems I encountered was the TargetVision system. This is a self-contained, very hardware-based, system. The camera unit and box with battery sits 10-15 feet from the target and can transmit to your Android or IOS device up to a mile. That is quite a range. The furthest one they set out was at 850 yards and it transmitted without a problem from that distance. The image component of this unit worked fine in the demo and acted just like a spotting scope. However, the shot marking and tracking software they are planning on is still in the works. Starting at $1,285, this unit is cheaper than may high-end spotters, but as you will soon see, spotters are not really what it competes with. You can also pick it up for a bit less via indiegogo by being an early adopter at:
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/targetvision-wireless-spotting-camera-system
The TargetVision system running on an iPad.
The second range camera system at range day was Bullseye Camera Systems. This is really a little bit of a misnomer as, though you do buy the whole system, the part they make is the software. All of the hardware components are off-the-shelf wireless routers, security cameras, batteries, and boxes. I think this is a very sharp way to do a system like this because all of these hardware components will continue to improve and they won't have to totally remake their system to catch up. Additionally, if some moron shoots part of your system, the fix is a locally available, and no doubt affordable, component. The Bullseye software is very complete. The last shot flashes so you know which one it is and you can designate different groups, shooters, weapons, etc. so you could really shoot on a single target for a very long time, provided you weren't shooting bug holes. The software offers such flexibility that, if you wanted to, you could actually designate the reloading and climate data for each shot. You can also record live video or images. I would love to tell you that, unlike the TargetVision system, the Bullseye system is complete and it is, if you want to use a windows laptop. However, if you want to do Android or IOS (software pending approval in the APP Store) you will have to wait on that. Still, with a $549 price tag for the 1000+yd system and shot tracking that works; I think the Bullseye system has the current edge.
The Bullseye system running on a laptop.
x scope. I’ve been sort of avoiding these so far because I have a whole thread devoted to them that I’m going to have to maintain when I get home. Lets do it anyway. The Elcan Specter TR is their answer to the 1-8x market. Just like the DR, it is unconventional in design. This time the design features 1/3/9x magnification settings that operate via a three-position knob located on the left hand side where the illumination control usually is. This knob turns with virtually no force. It is quite fast. Just as on the Specter DR, the zeroing on this scope is done with exposed adjustments on the base. While I was ok with this on the DR because it is a 1/4x primarily close quarters scope, I’m not a real fan on a scope that goes up to 9x. In general, 1-8x scopes have been for more than your 5.56mm AR, though they certainly work for that. Really, they are targeted at AR-10 variants, which incidentally, now exist even up to .338lm. Miller Precision announced that variant at this years show though they only had the .300 Win Mag on hand to shoot on range day. What I am saying is that I expect to be able to use a 1-8x like a sniper scope, not just like a red dot. I want to be able to effectively dial even if the reticle is a hybrid design, which might actually be the best way to go. 
